Questions And Answers


 




A Special Day



 

When and by whom was the Sabbath made?

 

      “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 

      And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”

Genesis 2:1,2

 

What is the reason for keeping the Sabbath day holy?

 

      “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

Exodus 20:11

 

Comment- The Sabbath is the memorial of Creation.  God designed that in keeping it man should forever remember Him as the true and living God, the Creator of all things.

 

Did Christ have anything to do with Creation and the making of the Sabbath?

 

       “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” 

John 1:3

 

Ref.  Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:2

 

Comment- Christ was the active agent in Creation.  God rested on the seventh day from His work of Creation, therefore, Christ rested on the seventh day with the Father.

 

After resting on the seventh day, what did God do?

 

      “And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

Genesis 2:3

 

Comment- By three distinct acts the Sabbath was made- God rested and he blessed and sanctified it.  Sanctify means to “make sacred or make holy,” “to consecrate,” to set apart as sacred.”

 

For whom did Christ say the Sabbath was made?

 

      “And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”

Mark 2:27

 

Comment- Man means “mankind.”  God instituted the Sabbath to be a source of benefit and blessing to the human family.

The fourth commandment begins with the word “remember” showing that the Sabbath already existed when God wrote this law on the tables of stone at Mt Sinai.

 

When did God bless and sanctify the seventh day?

 

      “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 

       And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

Genesis 2:2,3

 

What does the Sabbath commandment require?

 

      “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 

     Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 

       But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.”

Exodus 20:8-10

 

How did God prove Israel in the wilderness?

 

      “Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.”

Exodus 16:4

 

On which day was a double portion of manna gathered?

 

      “And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.”

Exodus 16:22

 

What did Moses say to the rulers?

 

     “And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.”

Exodus 16:23

 

Comment- The Sabbath is indispensable to man, being promotive of his highest good, physically, intellectually, socially, spiritually, and eternally.  Hence its observance is connected with the best of promises, and its violation with the severest penalties.

 

     “In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 

      There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 

       Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day? 

     Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath. 

       And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day. 

     So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. 

       Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the Sabbath. 

       And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.”

Nehemiah 13:15-22

 

Exodus 24:12

Exodus 31:12-18

Jeremiah 17:21-27

Ezekiel 20:12,13,20

Ezekiel 22:26-31

Exodus 16:22-30

 

What did some of the people do on the seventh day?

 

     “And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.”

Exodus 16:27

 

How did God reprove their disobedience?

 

      “And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?”

Exodus 16:28

Why was twice as much manna given on the sixth day?

 

      “See, for that the LORD hath given you the Sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”

Exodus 16:29

 

How then did the Lord test the people?

 

 

He tested them to see if they would reverence the holy Sabbath.

We see that the Sabbath commandment was a part of God’s law before this law was spoken on Sinai, for this incident occurred before Israel came to Sinai.